On a small order, a factory visit is often the only time anyone on your side sees the place that will make your goods. Most visits fail in a quiet way: the visitor walks a clean showroom, takes pleasant photos, and comes back with nothing that ties the building, the company on your invoice and your production together.
This checklist covers what to prepare, what to look at, what to record and what to ask on a factory visit for orders where an audit firm would be overkill, such as a first production run or a few thousand units. It applies whether you go yourself or send someone. It is practical guidance, not a formal audit standard, and not legal advice.
1. Before the visit: fix what you are checking
- The Chinese legal name and 18-character Unified Social Credit Code of the seller on your proforma invoice. Look it up on the official registry first (how-to in our GSXT guide). Note the registered address and business scope.
- The production address the supplier says your order will be made at, in Chinese, in writing. If it differs from the registered address, ask which company operates it.
- Your spec sheet and approved sample (or photos of it): materials, dimensions, colors, packaging, labels. The visitor needs these to compare against, not just a product name.
- A written visit agreement with the supplier: date, time, the areas you will be allowed to see, whether photos and video are allowed, and who will receive you. Agree on this before you travel, not at the gate.
- A shot list (section 4), so the visit produces the same evidence whoever goes.
2. At the gate: confirm the site belongs to the company you vetted
- Signage and the posted business license. Chinese companies normally display their business license on the premises. Photograph it, with the legal name and credit code legible, and compare them with your invoice and the registry record.
- The address plate and location. Photograph the gate and the street address, and record the GPS location on the photos or separately.
- Who receives you. Record the person's name and stated role, and ask which company employs them. A sales rep from a different company hosting you at "their factory" is a pattern worth writing down.
- Several companies at one address. Industrial parks often house multiple companies. If the gate shows another name, ask how the two relate. This is often innocent, but the answer belongs in the report.
If the names do not line up, the visit has still done its job. Stop, document, and resolve it in writing before paying. Our factory vs trading company guide explains the common explanations and which ones are acceptable.
3. On the floor: can this site make your order?
| Look at | What you want to see | What should make you ask more |
|---|---|---|
| Machines and process steps for your product | The key steps for your item (for example molding, sewing, CNC, printing, assembly) happening on site | Only final assembly or packing on site, with no explanation of where the rest is done |
| Work in progress | Real production underway, with materials, part-finished goods and labeled batches | A spotless, idle floor on a normal working day |
| Similar products | Items close to yours in material and complexity | Nothing like your product anywhere in the building |
| Raw material storage | Materials matching your spec, stored and labeled | No materials store, or materials that differ from your approved sample |
| Quality checks | Somewhere goods are checked, with records or reject bins in use | No visible checking step between production and packing |
| Warehouse and packing | Finished goods packed and marked for shipment | Cartons marked for a different company than the one you contract with (ask why) |
If part of your product is made by a subcontractor, that can be normal. What matters is that it is disclosed, that you know which company does that step, and that your contract covers it.
4. A shot list that makes the visit usable
Photos only help if someone who was not there can tell what they show. For each item, record the date and time and a short caption saying what it is and why it matters.
- Gate, signage and street address, wide enough to show the building.
- The posted business license, with the name and credit code readable.
- One continuous walk-through video from the entrance to the production area. A continuous clip is harder to stage than separate photos.
- The specific machines or lines that will run your order.
- Work in progress, and any of your goods or materials if production has started.
- Raw materials next to your spec sheet or approved sample, for comparison.
- The quality-check area and any inspection records you are allowed to see.
- Finished-goods storage and carton markings.
Label anything the supplier told you separately from anything the visitor saw. "Capacity 20,000 units a month" from the sales manager is a claim, not an observation, and should be written up as one.
5. Questions to ask on site
- Which legal entity will produce this order, and which entity will invoice and receive payment?
- Which steps are done here, and which are done elsewhere? By which company?
- Which line will run our order, and what else is scheduled on it around our dates?
- Where do materials for our order come from, and when are they booked?
- Who checks quality before packing, against what, and can we see a recent record?
- Can we have a dated photo or video update at each production milestone?
Write the answers down with the name of the person who gave them. If an answer later turns out to be wrong, you will want to know who said it.
6. After the visit
- Write the report the same day: what was seen, what was only stated, what could not be checked and why.
- Compare the company names you recorded on site with the registry record, the contract seller and the bank beneficiary before paying (see our bank account verification guide).
- Turn anything you agreed on site, such as materials, milestone photos and a pre-shipment check, into written order terms.
- Keep the raw files with their dates. If there is a dispute later, the original photos and video matter more than the summary.
What a visit cannot tell you
- A visit is a snapshot of one day. It does not show how the factory behaves when your order is late, or whether quality holds across the full run.
- A determined bad actor can borrow a site or stage a tour. Matching the entity, documents and money path is what makes that harder.
- A visit is not a product test. Lab testing, certifications and pre-shipment inspection are separate jobs.
How Osmanth can help
When you cannot go yourself, our Factory & Site Visits cover the checks above at the location you name, with access arranged with the supplier in advance. You get dated photos and video, and every finding is labeled by evidence status: what we saw ourselves, what the supplier only stated, and what we could not confirm. Pair it with Supplier Background Verification to tie the site to the registry record and the payment beneficiary. Once production starts, Production & Order Follow-up can keep the milestone evidence coming. See how findings are presented in our sample reports. Every job is quoted individually; there are no list prices on this site.
Due diligence, not a guarantee: we report what we can reasonably verify, and our liability is limited to the fee paid for that service. Limitation of liability.
Need eyes on a factory before you pay?
Send the supplier's company name, the production address and your spec. We will reply with what we can check on site, the limits, and a written quote.
Describe Your Task →Sources
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT), gsxt.gov.cn (official company registry lookup by legal name or Unified Social Credit Code).
Checked 2026-11-09. The checklist reflects Osmanth's own working method for small-order visits; it is not an industry audit standard.
Limits of this guide
- We are not your lawyer, broker or inspection agency, and this is not legal advice.
- Site rules on photography and access vary; always follow what you agreed with the supplier.
- Regulated products (for example food, medical devices or children's products) have extra licensing and testing requirements that a visit does not replace.
FAQ
Is a factory visit worth it for a small order?
Often, for a first order or a new supplier. A short, well-planned visit can confirm that the site belongs to the company on your invoice and can make your product. A small order rarely needs a full audit; it needs the right few checks recorded with dated evidence.
Should a factory visit be unannounced?
Unannounced visits can show more, but many sites will not admit you. For small orders, an agreed visit with a short notice window and a written list of areas you may see is usually more productive.
What should I photograph on a factory visit?
The gate and address, the posted business license with the legal name and credit code readable, one continuous walk-through video, the line that will run your order, work in progress, raw materials next to your spec, the quality-check area, and finished-goods cartons. Caption each with the date and what it shows.
Does a factory visit replace a pre-shipment inspection?
No. A visit is a snapshot of the site and its capability on one day. Checking your finished goods against the spec before the balance payment is a separate step.